Michigan in the News

A Wall Street Journal story about Burger King franchises being required to cap the price of a double cheeseburger at $1 quoted Francine Lafontaine, professor of business economics and public policy, about the development of pricing agreements between franchisers and franchisees.

Dr. Eva Feldman, director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, talked with CNN about the first human clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gherig’s disease.

Donald Grimes, senior research specialist at the Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy, told The Detroit News that Michigan’s unemployment rate is inching down, not because people are finding employment but because they are leaving the state or have stopped looking for work.

Visitors watch a demonstration of a new seven-axis robot during an open house Wednesday at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The robot is a new adition to the Digital Fabrication Lab. It is one of several computerized tools that aid students and faculty in gaining new ground in material design, production and use. (Photo by Scott Soderberg, U-M Photo Services)

HAITI RESPONSE: Student-led effort answers earthquake victims' call for helpA student-run initiative, supported by staff from several schools and departments across U-M, is uniting campus efforts to help those devastated by the massive earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12. U-M Haiti Relief 2010, is organizing and implementing student-led relief efforts for victims in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
• Two patients from Haiti have arrived at the U-M Health System and are now receiving advanced specialized care.

Strecher named 2010 Distinguished University InnovatorVictor Strecher has been selected as the U-M Distinguished University Innovator for 2010. Strecher, a professor of health behavior and health education at the School of Public Health and a successful entrepreneur, has conducted breakthrough research leading to a fundamental shift in how digital technologies are adapted to support preventative health behaviors.

Big year in tough times: $1B in research, new inventions, NCRCResearch spending that topped $1 billion, more than $218 million in federal stimulus grants, a record 350 inventions disclosed by faculty and the purchase of the former Pfizer pharmaceutical research facility were among the highlights in an annual report given to the Board of Regents on Thursday.

New wrestling facility named in recognition of letter winner Ralph BahnaIn recognition of former U-M wrestler Ralph Bahna and his wife, Dorothy, the Board of Regents on Thursday formally designated the Wolverines’ new state-of-the-art wrestling facility as the Bahna Wrestling Center.
In other news, the Board of Regents approved:
• Participation in the first phase of the Ann Arbor intermodal transportation complex known as the Fuller Road Station.
• $20 million in renovations to Crisler Arena, authorized bids and construction contracts for a basketball player development center and a capital outlay request to the state.

The Michigan Difference

Building on the fundamentals
Mike Carscaddon’s job is to help people in underdeveloped countries access the capital to buy a home. A 2008 MBA graduate of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Carscaddon (center in photo) is executive vice president for international field operations for Habitat for Humanity International. How big is his challenge? “The current homeownership rate in the U.S. is around 65 percent,” he says. “But if you go to India, fewer than six percent of the people have access to the capital needed to buy a house. When you get to a country like Zambia, that number drops to fewer than one percent.”

Coming up…

Did You Know?

The Ford School of Public Policy houses four research centers: The National Poverty Center; The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy; The International Poverty Center; and The Center for Public Policy in Diverse Societies.